While a lot of folks are fawning over the Hi-Uni, I have to say these are among
my new favorite pencils. For a while I've been looking at darker pencils to use
for writing heavier text (headers, etc) in my notes. At first I gave the Hi-Uni
B a shot, and then the Uni Penmanship Pencil in 4B (carried by JetPens at the
time of this writing), then this one. While the 4B Mitsubishi is quite an
impressive instrument and is exceedingly smooth and dark with minimal pressure,
it wears down quickly and the marks are rather smudgable. I was a bit surprised
at how fragile the Hi-Uni B was; almost every time I wrote a "ping na" stroke in
a Chinese character, the tip would snap from the extra pressure. It was getting
really maddening, and I didn't have much hope for the Mono 100 in 2B. However,
my fears were misplaced as the Tombow has excellent point durability, and did
not break a single time in dozens of characters. It does of course wear down
faster than an HB, but is quite dark and rather smooth. I think perhaps it gives
up a little bit of the slipperiness of the Hi-Uni on some papers, but then it
seems equally smooth or even a little smoother on some other papers, and the
gains in precision and point durability are nothing to scoff at.

Truly a marvelous writing implement, and I think I'll need to get more of them.

Have now purchased a range of Mono 100s; 2B, 3B, and 4B. They are all of very
high quality and used principally for writing. Having perused this range I've
been able to zero in on the 3B as the preferred sweet spot because: dark and
clear lines, reasonably smudge free, and while they do require more sharpening
than compared to say, an HB, there's a nice, strong cedar aroma reminding you
why you like cedar pencils. Thanks Jetpens.

Tombow Mono 100 are one of the best wooden case pencils for writing, sketching
and drawing, which many artists and animators truly appreciate and love. When
you lay the graphite on a piece of paper, it makes your work look like a true
masterpiece. Japan makes some of the highest quality and top notch pencils in
the world today,especially their graphite. These pencils are a true
craftsmanship and they are absolutely beautiful. A work of art and a true
masterpiece. These are world class quality pencils that I will always cherish
and love for the rest of my life. Jetpens,you are truly amazing and remarkable.
I will always be a lifetime customer. Thank You, M. Keith Brummett

Beautiful pencils. I've had issues with the quality of other wood pencils before
- either the lead is too fragile or the wood is too cheap and splinters or
breaks. It holds a good tip, the lead won't break unless you put quite a bit of
force on it, and while the lead can still smudge it won't ruin your paper like
most B type pencils will. The case is actually pretty high quality and I can see
myself using it long after the pencils have been whittled down to nubs.

I've found the 2bs might be a tad too soft for general sketching while being a
little too hard for animation clean up, so you'll probably want to buy the
variety pack first if you don't have a specific use in mind. However, despite
these small issues, they've already replaced all the pencils (mechanical and
wooden) in my pencil case. I would highly recommend that any hobbyist or
professional artist should get a chance to try these out once.